Que Será, Será
I lived and taught English in Spain for nine months from September 2017-June 2018. I went at 23, left at 24. I went not because I wanted to be a teacher, but because I wanted to see the world and live a life different than the one I was used to. And that I did.
I lived with a host family that taught me their culture and opened up my world, showing me ways to live and think about certain situations that I hadn’t considered before. I also realized how similar we all are. For example, we all worry about jobs, food, taxes, friendships, etc. no matter how far away in the world we are from each other.
The months there passed by faster than a rabbit with its ass on fire. Reflecting back, and forward, here are some additional lessons I learned from my time there:
Home really is where you make it.
You can't wait on others for your happiness, you have to find and work on your own.
Let love happen to you, not the other way around.
If you feel lost off the depths of all the GPSes in the world, just wait, you'll always find your way back with time.
Things don't have to be said to be heard.
You can't burn bright all the time.
Your mind is powerful in many wonderfully awful ways... Take a deep breath and calm down, you can find the strength to move it in the right direction.
You are you, don't mold to anyone else. It's great to adapt and accept people, but don't try to be like them because that's not you. You have your own personality that people will love because it's YOU.
Time is going to pass, whether you freak out about it or not... So save your freakouts for the more important matters.
Appreciate where you are when you're there because you will never have the same experience twice.
Don't do things because you're afraid of missing out... You'll never miss out on the things that matter.
Don't confuse boredom with loneliness.
Take it easy and find joy in the small things in life, like a beautiful sunset or driving down a calm street with the radio on... those are the moments that will bring you back, and those are the moments life has to offer... what you see is all that there is. Spend your time enjoying the world and not trying to figure it out.